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Tonight's meteor shower: Here's when, where, and how to see it

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This graphic is a forecast of the amount of cloud cover expected tonight at 2 a.m. Cloud cover is expected to be minimal, so viewing should be excellent in Michigan.
(National Digital Forecast Database - NOAA)

A shower of 400 meteors an hour would be spectacular, and four times more active than the Geminids meteor shower.

The good news is Michigan should have mostly to entirely clear skies tonight between 2 and 4 a.m. The top graphic shows the expected cloud cover in Michigan at 2 a.m. Saturday. There should only be between 10 and 20 percent cloud cover at most. This limited amount of cloud cover should allow for excellent viewing of the possible meteor shower.

You should be able to see the meteor shower anywhere in Michigan, but the farther north you are, the better viewing may be, In the U.P. the meteors may appear higher in the sky and easier to see. Experts say anywhere in Michigan will have a good chance to view the meteors.

You will want to be under the darkest sky you can find. If you live in a metropolitan area, you are going to have to take a drive out into the country.

Where do you look? NASA experts tell me it is going to be pretty simple. Lay on your back and look straight up. The meteors may originate somewhere in the northern sky, but should shoot across the area straight overhead.

One word on cloud cover here in Michigan tonight. The Great Lakes shoreline areas could have a bank of lake effect clouds develop. So, although it would be a great viewing on the beach, I'd probably try to stay inland some. Areas five to 10 miles inland should be clear of any bank of lake effect clouds.

MLive Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa has been forecasting Michigan weather for more than 20 years. He's been chief meteorologist at three television news stations in Michigan, and he's an avid gardener and hunter. Email him at mark@farmerweather.com and find him on Facebook at facebook.com/mark.torregrossa and Twitter @weathermanmark